The Winter Villa <1>
March 19th 1860
My dear Henry
We have just heard of a new Medecine [sic] for gout, which has done a great deal of good to Ld Ashburton <2> & some others. It is only to be had at Marseille – & Ld Mt E. <3> has begged me to ask you if you ever heard of it before, & if you know what it’s [sic] name is in English? It is called Galliae <4> – He also wants to know if you can tell him the name of Gum Guyacum in French? An answer to these two queries will greatly oblige us.
Ld Mt E. is still very weak & unwell – He was charmed with an expression in Amandier’s <5> last letter – talking of herself & others in the house who have colds – she calles them " des tristes infirmes <6>" – at least he considers it so applicable to himself.
Is not the majority in Italy a glorious one? There can be "no mistake" as the saying is. Only I own, that for my own private feeling, I do not like the idea of poor Florence & Tuscany being absorbed Switzerland is abominably used.
My love to all
Yrs affly
Caroline Mt Edgcumbe
[envelope:]
Henry Fox Talbot Esre
Laycock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Winter Villa, near Plymouth: estate of the Earls of Mt Edgcumbe.
2. Alexander Hugh Baring (1835–1889), 4th Baron Ashburton.
3. Ernest Augustus Edgcumbe, Lord Valletort, 3rd Earl of Mt Edgcumbe (1797–1861), WHFT’s brother-in-law.
4. Probably Galliac.
5. Amélina Petit De Billier, ‘Mamie’, ‘Amandier’ (1798–1876), governess and later close friend of the Talbot family [See Amélina's journal].
6. Sad invalids.